Here's the transcript:
Indie film is excitement.
Indie film is energy. It’s
filmmakers, young and old, looking to tell their story, but many lack the tools
and skills needed to make their films a reality.
IndieMaker will change
that.
IndieMaker is an
app-based product with a website element that will create a digital landing
spot for indie filmmakers. IndieMaker will feature a variety of options for the
new filmmaker such as:
Videos and How-To posts
on different aspects of production, such as lighting techniques, low-budget special
effects, finding the perfect location and much more.
Blog posts from other
filmmakers on their experiences shooting their first features and the lessons
they learned.
And a chance to connect
with filmmakers from across the globe.
In the beginning, these
posts will be a mixture of aggregated content and IndieMaker exclusives until
finally shifting to all content on the app being provided by IndieMaker’s
community of filmmakers.
“A strong and
enthusiastic niche audience can push a topic into mainstream consciousness with
speed and force.” - Rachel Sklar.
Indie film is the niche
audience of the film industry. IndieMaker is that push.
Hello Alex,
ReplyDeleteCaptain Fancy Pants here,
I always like the idea of having a centralized place to find something. For example, the application you intend to create will include a community of film makers sharing their ideas on one site/application. Instead of browsing around the internet and trying to find different video tutorials or instructions, you will be able to find many if these features from within this app.
An application like this will require an experienced team of designers, writers and programmers to get the app to function.
You seem to be very passionate about helping fellow film makers in their endeavors. I like the fact that this idea will be interactive by connecting with other people who have a passion for film.
I would like to hear more about this idea.
Thank you!
Thanks CFP. I think the power would be in the app. On set or in the field, people would lean on the app more than going to the website. But then again, some thing are better read on a laptop screen then a smartphone, you know?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteThis was a a clear presentation. You told us what we needed to know about the product.
Is there a plan for funding, and is there a timeline? Investors would want to know the basics about your plan to create this, as well as who will be creating it.
I can't wait to see this become a real project!
Nice work,
Ivan Vagari
Sorry for the delay, Faison. I like to look at the project-planning assignments together.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to thank you for taking an active role in this course. You tweeted nonstop. You critiqued well. Your responses to other students and the lectures were terrific. You’ve been an asset.
Every semester, I wonder if I should take media off the table as a possible topic, but I never do. Anyone can talk about the Web or photography all day long, but it’s only when we use media well that the audience notices. The medical students who take this course often produce more writing just because they have no doubt about their niche. When ICM students pick a topic like old dogs or sustainable living over the Web or filmmaking, they use the media instead of dissecting it. The work is better.
A filmmaker on how-to build a Web site on how-to make films in a class on how-to use the Web? That’s a meta layer cake.
Given the interest you expressed in the second half of this course, the practical side, I would have liked to have seen you tweet more during pitch week. Xavier had 25 ideas. Music Purist had 17. The pitches were an opportunity to throw film ideas around. I wanted to hear about your projects or a new way to think about an indie film blog.
“Most books lay out rules and expect you to follow them. I hate that thinking. Creativity should be unencumbered. There should be no harness for creating an idea.”
If you believe that, you could do much more with the pitches you laid out here – pitches for a rules site or a rules app. Both of your elevator pitches were general. We need to know what separates them from Indie Tips or No Film School or any of the other Facebook pages doling out instructions every single day.
Elevator tips give you more than an opportunity to flesh out your idea. It’s an opportunity to speak aloud. It’s your first speech assignment. Some students will sketch out a monologue or dialogue for the ride. How will you not sound like a scam approaching someone in an elevator? There’s a great potential for nuance here and it’s all in the writing preparation. What will you say? How will you bring up the subject? It only works if you have a strong idea.
Your executive summary is the same thing. It’s a fine assignment, well written, but I want to know what makes it different. Indie tips are already a crowded marketplace. What specifically in the app design or blog mission separates you from the crowd?
“A crowd-funding campaign would begin to not only raise a small amount of capital, but gauge the interest level of our idea.”
I disagree. Kickstarter only works when your idea has already been gauged by a lot of people. You don’t use it as the gauge.
Let’s think about the first part of the course. Tweets and links teach us to choose our words carefully. They also insist that the opening line say something that engages—that the audience cannot dismiss outright. Avatars and crowds teach us to hone our relationships. Who cares about your work? Who is your competition? Who is really going to help you? How do you present yourself? Algorithms and wikis teach us to have plans based on research—a good idea, a good execution, and good management.
ReplyDeleteWhen you can compress all of that into an elevator ride or an opening, then you go to Indiegogo.
When you bring images and speech into the mix, they should build on your writing. A slide that repeats the text of your speech is something both you and the audience read so you never look at one another. It’s a shield.
Creativity is encumbered. It is laden with responsibility. I just heard Danny Boyle the other day describe directing as management—keeping the cast and crew all in the same creative mindset. You lead because you are the one to lead.
I only give you a little time and instruction for each assignment. I don’t expect you to read my mind. But I know you know this. Your very first post was budget, budget, budget. Now, given everything you’ve done, take an honest look at whether you do everything you can to reach and build an audience. Go look at Coach Kidd’s blog this semester. He’s writing a book and he’s not even a communications student.
You’ve done good work in the class. It really has been a pleasure having you, and I’m happy to talk through more of this any time in the future.